Battlefield collections: Boots first
by imperialjournal
Summary: A young LT from a Canadian regiment is part of a new state of the art war technology, and is forced to fight against all odds to overcome the stress of war. O/C


**Boots first**

August 1st, 2017

1st Canadian Airborne Drop Troop Company

3rd platoon's designated marksman LT. Arcega was one of the few regular conscripts who had been hand-picked from Northern Command to form a new company to test the prototype stratro-orbital drop technology, developed by the Americans and distributed to all NATO armies. The new state of the art modern warfare system simply utilized the method of dropping shock troops from sub-orbital altitudes with precision behind enemy lines without the need for conspicuous parachutes and aircraft. The Communist forces did have anti-air weaponry, but lacked anti-orbital technology. This made it easy for NASA and NORAD to convoy space shuttles filled with soldiers and astronauts to and from space with little to no enemy fire. Marco always had a fear for heights, but no words would express the new found fear of suborbital drop. But to be a suborbital drop trooper was quite the break from being a regular grunt on the ground, taking mortar and sniper fire. The LT readied his M39 EMR, C8 carbine, and his custom FN five-seven 20 round sidearm, for his drop rotation was in less than 30 seconds. He had never been outside of his own nation, let alone in space, but the 24 year old drop trooper found resolve in hitting the enemy on their home front for a change.

"Twenty seconds, breathe, remember your mission, no survivors, no excuses, go with God drop troopers, boots first" said the general over coms. "3, 2 ,1 mark" notified the automated VI. With a swift air vacuum sound, the pods were away. _Just like an ODST in Halo_ thought the marksman. The air time only lasted one minute, but it was enough time to take a breather from the war and enjoy the sight of the earth's landscape from an astronauts view. And with a weightless bump, the hatch from the pod busted open, and out climbed the trooper. It was 0500 hours west pacific standard time in North Korea. 3rd platoon had been dropped near the china, Korean border on the 37th parallel and it would only be a matter of time before the enemy would be aware of their presence, so they made haste to detonate the pods, and AVT it up the mountain pass to the covert allied forward base to reinforce the American drop platoon. The NKA had already been made aware of the American presence on the border, but they had no idea that the joint Canadian-American operation was about to cripple their anti-air battery overlooking the pacific waters. The mission was to put the defense forces into disarray to pave the way for an allied assault named the Counter-offensive. Marco knew that he and his men were surrounded, but they had solace in the fact that they would play the first role in ending this war once and for all. For both sides, Korean and North American knew that nuclear war was not an option unless they wanted to end the world, therefore conventional war was imminent.

After arriving at the base, the Americans and Canadians made their way down to the east coast line under covert movement. They were at the foot of the naval base, and the enemy had no clue that they were there. The North Americans had the element of surprise. LT had setup his firing position on a cliff near the edge of the base, he setup his bipod, and marked his targets. His orders for the assault were to engage with one magazine, direct a mortar barrage, then move in and provide a base of fire for the platoon leaders. He lined up his first target "boots first" he whispered, and with two squeezes from his hair trigger, the North Korean was no more. He lined up the rest of his targets and followed suite. The enemy was already in disarray, after unloading his magazine into 15 enemy soldiers, he then homed in with his laser to mark barrage targets. 20 105 heavy mortar shells impacted the facility, and shortly after, the men of the 1st Canadian drop company and the 101st airborne drop regiment charged in with battle cries, fixed bayonets and shotguns. Marco tactically advanced in a flanking run to cover his men as he moved swiftly, he moved behind a concrete wall and dropped 2 soldiers 50 yards in front of him and as the firefight went on, he had ran out of .308 ammo and switched to his C8 with a cobra sight and angled fore grip. He was now engaged in close assault, and it was going to be ugly clearing out the base.

After rounding a corner, he dropped 1 soldier too slow to acquire the advancing Canadian. Marco had always relished in the lone wolf mentality, and it was doing him all too well without the worry of collateral damage to the other men around him, now he had enough space between him and the enemy to focus in on combat. He rounded another corner, and unloaded his C8 into the enemy squad while taking a round to the forearm, he grunted in pain then heard more soldiers bearing down on his position, he quickly drew his five seven, took cover behind a wall and soon enough the soldiers had found themselves down the barrel of a 5.7mm hand cannon. Marco unloaded and brought down 5 men but the 6th one had survived and charged at the 5'11 220LBS Canadian drop trooper with his short stocky 5'8 200 pound frame. The melee was brutal, for the Korean. Marco dodged the machete swings of the man, and drew his own bayonet, the man slashed and stabbed with all his anger and the LT kept parrying the strikes waiting for his opponent to tire out, which he did, and Marco seized the opportunity and disarmed the man and stabbed him right through his gut. He then reloaded his C8 and Five seven, and made way to secure the rest of the base. Marco was down to 1 magazine left for his carbine, and 4 rounds left in the sidearm. The battle had been quick and relentless as the North American allies advanced and cleared the rest of the base, the LT was clearing the last of the tunnels to the main battery, he peered down his cobra sights, weary of the enemy jumping out any second. 2 did such, they rounded the corners at the same time only to meet a burst of 5.56 ammo to the chest and head. He then reached the battery, an open space with many controls to the massive artillery guns before him in the bay, there were at least 10 enemy soldiers bearing down on him as he returned fire on the run to cover. He had only 10 rounds left in the carbine, he switched to semi auto and picked the men off one by one, until it was too late. He felt a pain through his other shoulder, he dropped unloaded the rest of his rifle into the shooter, dropped the rifle with a yell. He then took cover, drew his pistol, took a breath and then clambered the cover and slowly advanced on the enemy taking the aim that only a marksman could and dropping each of the last 4 men left in the bay with the last 4 rounds of his magazine. It was soon over, he disabled the batteries controls with a frag. He then rallied with his men on the docks "actual six-two this is ace-two, requesting permission to drop?" "Affirmative ace-two, you are clear to drop" replied Marco to the orbital stations. The LT and the men looked behind them and saw the glorious sight of multiple drop pods, Canadian and American dropping out of the sky then they all heard the sound of fighter jets and Hercules over the coves horizon with air craft carriers and landing crafts in tow. The Canadian and American Airborne drop companies had done it, they had secured the key to ending the war.


End file.
